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Religious Studies: Christianity > 4C: Festivals > Flashcards

4C: Festivals Flashcards

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1
Q

Advent

A

the four weeks leading up to Christmas in the Western church

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2
Q

Gaudete Sunday

A

third Sunday of advent

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3
Q

Parousia

A

Second coming of Christ

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4
Q

Saturnalia

A

ancient Roman mid winter festival in honour of the god Saturn

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5
Q

The Nativity Fast

A

what corresponds to Advent in the Eastern Orthodox Church

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6
Q

What is the word ‘Christmas’ derived from?

A

“Christ’s mass”

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7
Q

What is Christmas

A

the celebration of the birth of Jesus

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8
Q

When is Christmas celebrated in the Western Church?

A

25 December

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9
Q

Why was 25th December chose as the date for Christmas?

A

to replace the Roman winter Saturnalia (honours the God Saturn, 17-23 December) and also the Roman winter solstice festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the ‘birthday of the unconquered Son’)

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10
Q

What are some symbols associated with Christmas that are Pagan in origin?

A
  • lighting candles: anticipates return of sunlight
  • cutting of evergreen trees for decoration: illustrates triumph of life over darkness and death
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11
Q

What are the 4 weeks of preparation for Christmas known as?

A

Advent (derived from Latin adventus meaning ‘coming’)

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12
Q

What two events does Advent allow Christians to anticipate?

A
  1. celebration of Jesus’ first coming to earth as a baby boy
  2. Jesus’ second coming at the end of time: known as parousia
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13
Q

What is the liturgical colour for the Western church?

A

violent or purple

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14
Q

What is Gaudete Sunday?

A

the third Sunday of Advent where a rose colour may be used as the liturgical colour

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15
Q

What do Western Advent customs include?

A
  1. advent wreath
  2. advent calendar
  3. decorations
  4. expectation of fast has been relaxed
  5. 17-23 Dec: O Antiphons sang at prayer each day
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16
Q

Explain the advent wreath

A
  • usually kept in Church
  • has 4 candles: 3 purple and one rose (represents each Sunday)
  • Candle 1 = hope
  • Candle 2 = prophets
  • Candle 3 = joy
  • Candle 4 = annunciation (angel candle)
  • Candle 5 (Christ candle) = lit during Christmas Eve service
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17
Q

Explain the advent calendar

A
  • first used by German Lutherans in 19th and 20th century
  • special calendar for each day of December up to Christmas Eve
  • each day a window can be opened which reveals an item relevant to the preparation for Christmas: eg a Biblical verse, poem, prayer or small gift
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18
Q

Explain ‘O Antiphons’

A
  • sang at prayer 17-23 December
  • each antiphon calls upon one of the attributes of Jesus mentioned in the Bible
  • forms the basis for the popular Advent ‘O come, O come Emmanuel’
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19
Q

What is Plygain?

A

a Welsh tradition
- comes from Latin word ‘pulli cantio’ (meaning cockcrow)
- originally a carol service held between 3am-6am Christmas morning: involved groups of men singing carols in the old metres to await Eucharist at daybreak
- in modern day it is held on any weekday evening from the Feast of St Thomas (21 December) to Old New Year’s day (13 January). women are allowed to sing now

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20
Q

What is Christingle?

A
  • Scandinavian word meaning ‘light of Christ’
  • an orange with four cocktail sticks bearing fruits/sweets inserted into it
  • a red ribbon around the orange with a small candle on top, lit during services: represents the world
  • cocktail sticks represent the 4 corners of the Earth/the 4 seasons
  • sweets/fruit represent fruits of the Earth
  • light of the candle represents Jesus, the light of the world
  • ## red ribbon represents his saving blood
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21
Q

When are the 3 Eucharists at Christmas?

A
  • 1: at midnight Christmas Eve
  • 2: at dawn Christmas morning
  • 3: during Christmas day
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22
Q

How do Western Christians often spend Chiristmas?

A
  • feasting
  • exchanging gifts with family and friends
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23
Q

When is Christmas celebrated in the Eastern Church and why?

A

7 January
- because it corresponds to the old Julian calendar which predates the Gregorian calendar used in the West

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24
Q

What is the Eastern equivalent of Advent?

A

the Nativity Fast

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25
Q

How long does the Nativity Fast last?

A

40 days up to the Eve of Nativity

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26
Q

What does the Nativity Fast entail?

A

abstaining from red meat, poultry, egg, dairy products, fish, oil and wine

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27
Q

What is Paramony?

A
  • a strict fast day held on the Eve of nativity
  • no solid food should be eaten until the first star appears in the evening sky
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28
Q

What is the liturgical colour in the Eastern Church?

A

red. gold is the alternative

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29
Q

What is the Sunday of Forefathers?

A
  • takes place 2 Sundays before Nativity
  • commemorates ancestors of the Church
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30
Q

What is the Sunday of Holy Fathers?

A
  • the Sunday before Nativity
  • commemorated all righteous men and women who pleased God
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31
Q

When are most Christmas services held in the Eastern Church?

A
  • the Eve of Nativity and they last all night; parallels the ones held on Good Friday
  • illustrates the point that the purpose of the incarnation was to make the crucifixion and resurrection possible
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32
Q

What are the services held in Eastern Christmas?

A
  • The Hours
  • Vespers
  • Liturgy of St Basil the Great
  • The Vigil
  • Matins
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33
Q

Explain the Hours

A
  • special Psalms, hymns and Biblical readings prescribed for each hour
  • proclaim the joy and power of Christ’s birth
34
Q

Explain Vespers

A
  • 8 Biblical readings which celebrate the incarnation and show that Christ is the fulfillment of all prophecies
35
Q

Explain the Liturgy of St Basil the Great

A

in the past the baptismal liturgy at which catechumens were baptised and integrated into the body of Christ

36
Q

Explain Matins

A

for the first time, the words ‘Christ is born’ are sung while the congregation venerates an icon of the Nativity

37
Q

What does Christmas day usually involve in the Eastern church?

A
  • feasting and enjoyment of the company of family and friends
  • candles may be lit to represent the light of Christ
  • festive Christmas meals to represent the end of fasting
  • white linen on dinner table represents the cloth in which the baby Jesus was wrapped: straw may be placed upon it to symbolise the stable
38
Q

What do different Eastern cultures do on Christmas?

A
  • some walk to seas, rivers and lakes as a part of Christmas day liturgy and make holes in the frozen ice to bless the water
  • little emphasis on sharing gifts and the consumerism that characterises Western Christmas
39
Q

What does Easter celebrate?

A

the resurrection

40
Q

Why do Eastern and Western churches disagree on when to celebrate Easter?

A
  • they disagree on how the calculation of the date is interpreted
  • they base the dates on different calendars; Western uses Gregorian, Orthodox uses Julian (which is older)
  • they differ on the definition of the vernal equinox and the full moon
41
Q

How does the Eastern church calculate the date of Easter?

A
  • calculates it according to the actual, astronomical full moon and the actual equinox
  • applies the formula so that Easter always falls AFTER the Jewish passover
    since Jesus entered Jerusalem to celebrate passover
42
Q

How does the Western church calculate the date of Easter?

A
  • it uses a fixed date (21st March)
  • doesn’t use the astronomically correct date for the vernal equinox
43
Q

How long does lent last in the Western Church?

A

40 days to commemorate the days Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he began his public ministry

44
Q

When does lent begin in the Western Church?

A

Ash Wednesday

45
Q

Ash Wednesday

A
  • comes from the custom of placing ashes made from palm branches blessed on Palm Sunday on the heads of recipients while urging them to repent of their sins
46
Q

Why do some Christians fast or give up luxuries?

A

as a form of pentinence and self denial

47
Q

What is the liturgical colour for lent in the Western church?

A

purple

48
Q

What is the Service of the Stations of the Cross?

A

a devotional re-enactment of Christ’s passion

49
Q

Laetare Sunday

A
  • the fourth Sunday in lent
  • the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday
  • priests have the option of wearing rose coloured vestments instead of purple
50
Q

Mothering Sunday

A
  • the fourth Sunday
  • recently become an occasion to honour mothers but originates from 16th century celebration of the mother church
51
Q

Passion Sunday

A
  • the fifth Sunday
  • beginning of Passiontide
52
Q

Palm Sunday

A
  • sixth Sunday
  • beginning of Holy Week
  • final week of Lent
  • commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion
53
Q

Maundy Thursday

A
  • Thursday of the Holy Week
  • Christians commemorate the Last Supper
  • priest may wash the feet of 12 members of the congregation to commemorate Jesus washing the feet of the disciples
54
Q

Good Friday

A
  • day of atonement
  • Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial
  • Roman Catholic Church treat it as a day of fast
  • celebration of Passion of the Lord occurs at 3pm
  • vestments used are red and black
  • No celebration of the Eucharist between Maundy Thursday and the Easter vigil
  • only sacrament celebrated is baptism (for those in danger of death), penance and anointing of the sick
55
Q

How do Lutheran churches celebrate Lent?

A
  • 3 liturgies of the Holy Tridium: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter vigil
  • commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus
  • Tenbrae service; consists of passion accounts from the 4 gospels
56
Q

When is the Easter vigil usually held in the Western Church?

A

after nightfall on Holy Saturday or before dawn on Easter

57
Q

What happens during the Easter vigil?

A
  • a paschal candle, which symbolises the resurrection, is lit
  • statues and images that may have been veiled during lent are unveiled
58
Q

What is the liturgical colour for Easter in the Western church?

A

white or often gold

59
Q

How are the churches usually decorated for Easter in the Western church?

A
  • bright with white and yellow flowers
  • joyful music and jubilant use of church bells
60
Q

What is lent known as in the Eastern Church?

A

‘the Great Lent’ or ‘the Great Fast’

61
Q

When does the first week of Lent start in the Eastern Church?

A

Clean Monday

62
Q

What is Veneration of the Cross?

A
  • third Sunday (midpoint of Great Fast)
  • an all night vigil in which the priest brings out a cross to the centre of the church
63
Q

What is Akathist Saturday?

A
  • fifth Saturday
  • dedicated to Theotokos (mother of God)
  • a hymn to Mary is sung during Matins, with everyone standing
64
Q

When does Great Lent end?

A

Vespers on the sixth Friday

65
Q

What is Lazarus Saturday?

A

celebration of the resuscitation of Lazarus as a foreshadowing of the resurrection

66
Q

When do Holy Week services begin?

A

the night of Palm Sunday

67
Q

Holy and Great Monday

A

Joseph as a type of Christ: cursing the fig tree

68
Q

Holy and Great Tuesday

A

Parable of the 10 Virgins

69
Q

Holy and Great Wednesday

A

anointing of Jesus at Bethany

70
Q

Holy and Great Thursday

A
  • mystical supper
  • most festive day of the week because it celebrates the institution of Eucharist
71
Q

Holy and Great Friday

A
  • Jesus’ passion
  • strict fast day
  • morning, afternoon and evening services
  • evening services include lamination praises that reflect Mary’s lament for her son
  • cloth icon to represent sheets Jesus was buried in; placed on an ornate bier to represent the tomb
  • priest sprinkles the tomb with rose water and fresh rose petals
72
Q

Holy and Great Saturday

A
  • Jesus’ burial and descent to Hell
  • strict fasting
  • service combines sorrow and joy
  • morning service; liturgical colour is black but changed to white before gospel reading
  • atmosphere changes to joy
  • priest sprinkles the church with bay leaves; symbolises Jesus’ victory over death
  • good news of the resurrection will only be proclaimed during the Paschal Vigil
73
Q

What is Midnight Office?

A
  • the last liturgical service
  • forms the first part of the Paschal Vigil
  • priest places the cloth on the altar; remains there until the feast of the ascension
  • at the end of the office, all lights and candles are extinguished
  • all wait in silence and darkness for the stroke of midnight where the resurrection is proclaimed
  • priest lights a candle at midnight along with candles held by assistants, who in turn light candles held by the congregation
  • procession halts in front of doors of closed church: priest makes sign of cross and all church bells and percussion instruments are sounded
  • Easter matin begins, followed by Easter Hours and divine liturgy
74
Q

Why are hard boiled eggs cracked open during Easter procession?

A

they are dyed red so it symbolises the blood of Christ and celebrates the opening of the tomb

75
Q

What is ‘Easter Week’ also known as?

A

Bright Week

76
Q

What does Easter week consist of?

A
  • no fasting
  • the customary greeting is “Christ is risen” and the response is “He is risen indeed”
77
Q

Differences between celebrations of Easter in the Western and Eastern Church

A
  • Eastern insists Easter should fall AFTER Jewish passover
  • Lent: starts Clean Monday for Eastern and Ash Wednesday for Western
  • Eastern has more emphasis on fasting
  • Eastern has Veneration of the Cross, Western has Laetare/Mothering Sunday
  • Eastern has different theme for each week of Holy Week, Western only celebrates Maundy Thurs, Good Fri and Holy Sat
  • Main Easter celebration; Eastern is all night service, Western is on Easter Day
78
Q

Similarities between celebrations of Easter in the Western and Eastern Church

A
  • Both consider easter the most important festival and prepare for it joyously
  • Both see Good Friday as austere with Lent as preparation and hold the death and resurrection as equally central
79
Q

Reasons to suggest Easter is more important that Christmas

A
  • there is no hope of eternal life without the resurrection
  • it is an opportunity for evangelisation due to the secularisation
  • Easter is about Jesus’ ultimate mission
  • Christmas would be insignificant without Easter: it would just be about the birth of a good teacher
  • Easter celebrates fundamental belief in resurrection
80
Q

Reasons to suggest Christmas is more important than Easter

A
  • without the resurrection there would be no incarnation
  • Christmas is open to several interpretations
  • it is an opportunity for evangelisation due to the secularisation
  • Christmas is more joyful and popular
  • celebrates the birth of Christ (incarnation)
81
Q

Reasons why Christmas and Easter are equally as important

A
  • both show God breaking into his world, first as an innocent infant through incarnation, then as a mighty power raising the dead Jesus to life
  • the resurrection guarantees that God has accepted Jesus’ death as an acceptable atonement for human sin

Religious Studies: Christianity (25 decks)

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